Deregulation of savings rate will hurt everybody: IBA

14 Jul 2011 Evaluate

Banks on expressing their displeasure on deregulating the interest rate of saving bank deposits have written to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stating that they are not in favour of a deregulated savings rates regime, saying such a move would hurt everybody in the system. The Indian Bank Association (IBA) Chief Executive K Ramakrishana said, 'It is the view of our members that it is not an appropriate time to deregulate the savings rate because of the upward bias in the interest rates currently and the general high rate scenario.'

K Ramakrishana said that the RBI’s recent moves to calculate interest rate on a daily basis and increase the interest rate on savings accounts to 4% is already hurting the banks, by adding further he said, the IBA recently wrote to the RBI about its reservations on the subject.

Deregulation of the savings rate will hurt everybody, and by giving stress on the possibility of the rate going down from the present 4% cannot be ruled out if deregulation were to happen. The savings bank rate is the only regulated rate presently and a source of low cost funds for banks. It is feared that a competition within lenders to grab the low-cost deposits will result in the rates going up, K Ramakrishana said.

In April, regulator had floated a discussion paper on the issue of deregulating interest rates, in order to prepare a ground for deregulation; RBI has already increased the interest rate by 50 basis points to 4% in May. K Ramakrishana said that if the deregulation were to happen, it should be in 'totality' and not restricted to the rates alone.

'We should be allowed to charge for the transactions which are free presently. Let the market decide that as well. Nowhere else do we have facilities like ATMs, cheque books, fund transfers which come free,' K Ramakrishana added.

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